Product Description
The author of the bestselling The Tao of Physics and The Web of Life explores the profound social implications of emerging scientific principles and provides an innovative framework for using them to understand and solve some of the most important issues of our time.

For most of history, scientific investigation was based on linear thinking. But the 1980's brought a revolutionary change. With the advent of improved computer power, scientists could apply complexity theory--nonlinear thinking--to scientific processes far more easily than ever before. Physicist Fritjof Capra was at the forefront of the revolution, and in The Web of Life he extended its scope by showing the impact of complexity theory on living organisms. In The Hidden Connections he breaks through another frontier, this time applying the principles of complexity theory to an analysis of the broad sphere of all human interactions.

Capra posits that in order to sustain life in the future, the principles underlying our social institutions must be consistent with the organization that nature has evolved to sustain the "web of life." In a lucid and convincing argument, Capra explains how the theoretical ideas of science can be applied to the practical concerns of our time. Covering every aspect of human nature and society, he discusses such vital matters as the management of human organizations, the challenges and dangers of economic globalization, and the nature and the problems of biotechnology. He concludes with an authoritative, often provocative plan for designing ecologically sustainable communities and technologies as alternatives to the current economic globalization.

A brilliant, incisive examination of the relationship between science and our social systems, The Hidden Connections will spark enormous debate in the scientific community and inspire us to think about the future of humanity in a new way.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 12 reviews)

A tour de force

A fine book, as are all of Capra's. The discussion ranges far and wide, with many interesting insights. He has obvious researched it thoroughly. The way in which he moves between topics such as globalization, gene-manipulated food, the latest results of the Human Genome project, consciousness etc. is admirable. His treatment of each of the topics, though not always in as much depth as I would have liked, is clear and readbale. Capra again champions system thinking as he did in `Web of Life' - and this is certainly an improvement on the linear reductionism that characterizes the old fashioned mind-sets of most establishment biologists, mostly in the pay of the GM consortium or with other vested interests in supporting the status quo that says that "genes cause behavior". However, I feel that he stops short at mechanisms such as emergence - his adherence to Maturana & Varela's autopoetic version of cognitive processes is still too mechanist-materialist for my liking. I think he could have gone further, e.g. with consciousness, to the hard problem of how subjective awareness arises from objective processes - and emergence is not enough here, as all other examples are of the emergence of a greater level of objective complexity from simpler components. The hard problem is how can a qualitatively different thing such as subjective consciousness arise from any objective process, no matter how complex.

Similarly in his discussion of genes, he points out that viewing the epi-genetic network as a non-linear system gets to higher levels of complexity. But still, for my money that doesn't explain the loaves and fishes effect of the 11 physiological sub-systems of the body, it's coherent form and stability as well as the complexity of the brain arising from between 2 and 10 Megabytes of data in the genome. The upper limit of 10 MB is including tricks with shuffling round sub-sections of large genes to give other combinations. Anyway, the discussion of all that will go into my book. I hope mine will be as clear and readable as this masterpiece.

Another good point in my view is his inclusion of meaning as one of the pillars of his 4-fold integral vision - the choice of the others: matter, form and process - is somewhat different to other integral systems - e.g. that of Wilber - but equally interesting.

Finally, he paints a black picture of the horrors of globalisation and the ugly face of modern capitalism whose linear vision of greed and gluttony is the driving force behind the vampire computerised financial system that sucked the lifeblood out of many small countries and even the poor in rich countries like America. Capra righly calls for more controls on this system of mind-numbing stupity and linear evil. At least some rays of hope are described - mainly the way in which Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) via the internet succeeded in stopping the World Bank & co. from forcing furhter brutal ravages on the third world as part of their nightmare vision of Globalisation. Also, he shows how grass-roots revulsion at the horrible effects of genetically engineered food has pushed back the blindly linear thinking that was leading attacks on the delicate balance of the ' web of life'.

So, just read it...
February 27, 2006

A fine study on the dynamics of life, culture, and meaning.

The Hidden Connections employs inductive and deductive processes that includes the predominate traits in the character and cognition of individuals and the notion of life, the effective character of influential groups, and the coalescence of individual and group desires when people respond to various stimuli. Capra refers to this as `The Dynamics of Culture'. It is a very well researched, primarily academic treatise on the science of sustainability.

"Our ability to hold mental images and project them into the future not only allows us to identify goals and purposes and develop strategies and designs, but also enables us to choose among several alternatives and hence to formulate values and social rules of behavior...The social network also produces a body of knowledge-including information, ideas, and skills-that shapes the culture's distinctive way of life in addition to its values and beliefs...This meaningful knowledge, continually modified by the network of communications, is passed on from generation to generation together with the culture's values, beliefs, and rules of conduct." Pp 85-87.

There are numerous worthwhile lessons that can be gleaned from this work. Capra's study improves the analyst's ability to understand various peoples and to apply the concept of character to practical problems in intelligence and security relations and helps to avoid the common pitfalls of `mirror imaging'.

Among others, those who are interested in national security and law enforcement intelligence gain a clearer understanding on the meaning of the term `sustainability' and of related terms and concepts so often encountered in organizational studies and in intelligence readings. This should also serve to turn the light on for policymakers. ..."the original meaning of `authority' is not `power to command,' but `a firm basis for knowing and acting' ...the origin of power, then, lies in culturally defined positions of authority on which the community relies for the resolution of conflicts and for decisions about how to act wisely and effectively. In other words, true authority consists in empowering others to act." P 89.

"It is common to hear that people in organizations resist change. In reality, people do not resist change; they resist having change imposed on them. ...Moreover, it will help us design business organizations that are ecologically sustainable, since the principles of organization of ecosystems, which are the basis of sustainability, are identical to the principles of organization of all living systems." P 100.

April 14, 2005

Excellent read!

This book was really a true pleasure to read! This book provides us with a very beautiful picture of how all matter (both organic and non-organic) including ourselves is connected and related to each other. Even though the author tries to illuminate us on how we are destroying ourselves, he has a positive vision that is still realizeable if we allow our consciousness to evolve more. I believe we are in desparate need of writers like this at this day and age where we are closing in on the extinction of our own species. If you'd like to learn about how all of this relates to the human mind and why we do some of the terrible things we do to ourselves, read "The Ever-Transcending Spirit" by Toru Sato. It is an absolutely incredible book that will further your understanding of nature (including ourselves) immensely.
September 11, 2003

Universal networks underlying existence

Capra attempts to provide a conceptual framework that integrates the physical, cognitive and social dimensions in order to present a unified view of consciousness, society and life and also to develop a coherent and systemic approach to addressing the world's most pressing problems.

In the first part he constructs a new theoretical framework by looking at the nature of life, the nature of consciousness and the nature of social reality. He deals extensively with networking that has become an important social phenomenon and a critical source of power in the world.

The second part explores the management of human organisations, i.e. why and how these are living systems; economic globalisation; a systemic analysis of the ethical and scientific problems of biotechnology, with reference to the human genome project, and; the major problems facing the world today.

The author does a good job of pointing out the unified systems that integrate the biological, cognitive and social aspects of life and of explaining how a new vision of reality is unfolding, together with the social implications of this transformation.

Hidden Connections is a great read. The book contains explanatory notes, a bibliography and an index. Other interesting books dealing with this subject include Small Worlds by Mark Buchanan and Beyond Chaos: The Underlying Theory Behind Life, the Universe, and Everything by Mark Ward.
September 06, 2003

Something for Everyone

This book has something for almost everyone. It extends complexity theory into social networks, bringing in discussion of communication and the making of meaning. It addresses cognition and consciousness, even touching on spirituality, in Chapter 2. It moves into organizational practice beginning in Chapter 4 that includes a vision of leadership, then moves to the larger world stage, addressing global capitalism, biotechnology, the new civil society, and eco-sustainability. He even suggests a new tax structure!

There is a lot in this book, and Capra models the web of interconnectedness throughout. Because there is so much, sometimes I would like to see more depth in areas that interest me particularly, but he gives hints of where to look for deeper information for those interested. This book clearly builds on his previous work "The Web of Life" and while still theoretical, brings in a great deal more practical application. I highly recommend the book.
February 16, 2003

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